Coronavirus Australia live news: 30pc in quarantine and some in hot spots refuse tests, despite Victorian spike continuing with 30 new cases
Victoria now has 10 straight days of double-digit growth in virus cases, but 30pc of those in quarantine are refusing testing.
- Disappointing: Some hot spot residents decline test
- One third in Vic quarantine refuse COVID tests
- Victoria records 30 new cases
- McDonald’s worker tests positive
- 20m Americans infected
- Border closures risk tsunami of job losses
- US spike puts travel to Europe at risk
Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. Almost one third of people in quarantine in Victoria have refused COVID-19 tests. And even as Victoria records its tenth straight day of double-digit growth in virus cases some in the state’s hot spots are also declining. National Cabinet has met to discuss the escalating crisis. Businesses are pleading with the states to throw open their borders or risk a tsunami of job losses.
Agencies 9pm: ‘Berserk’ numbers of ill on Ruby Princess
A Carnival Australia executive says he was unaware the ill-fated Ruby Princess cruise ship was low on medical supplies and swabs or that the number of ill passengers had gone “berserk”.
Peter Little, the cruise line’s guest experience senior vice president, on Friday told an inquiry he was responsible for circulating NSW Health’s coronavirus cruise ship protocols, dated February 22, to health personnel on the Ruby Princess.
The protocols stated all cruise ship passengers with respiratory or influenza- like illness who had travelled to countries of COVID-19 concern were to undergo mandatory swabbing. Failure to comply could affect a ship’s ability to dock at NSW ports.
“How could it come about that a ship left port knowing it did not have enough swabs on board to take, keep and in due course deliver up samples for laboratory testing?” the inquiry’s head Bret Walker SC asked.
Mr Little said he did not know, adding that the process would involve a doctor on board raising supply concerns with the company, which would then organise the provisions.
“All of the evidence points to the fact that you - by which I mean the relevant corporations - didn’t care enough about the public health implications of an inadequate number of swabs to do anything about it and made no effort to give the doctor the number of swabs she needed,” Mr Walker told Mr Little. Swab inventories were not his responsibility, Mr Little said.
READ MORE: Timeline of tragedy aboard cursed Ruby Princess
Rachel Baxendale 7.15pm: Government to review hotel quarantine model
The Andrews government says it is reviewing its model of hotel quarantine for recently returned overseas travellers, following outbreaks in security staff at two quarantine hotels.
There have been at least 33 cases of COVID-19 linked to security staff at The Rydges on Swanston and Stamford Plaza hotels in Melbourne.
Asked whether Victoria should have accepted Canberra’s offer of ADF personnel to assist with the hotel quarantine system, as well as with a testing blitz in hotspot suburbs, where 200 ADF personnel are joining the effort, an Andrews government spokeswoman said: “We are reviewing our (hotel quarantine) model, but it doesn’t matter what uniform anyone is wearing— we’re all in this together.”
Other states have used ADF staff to assist with security in quarantine hotels, rather than the private security contractors Victoria is using.
“Infection control training is regularly conducted for all staff, from nurses to security guards, with an additional training program being rolled out across all hotels,” the spokeswoman said.
“Contracted security staff have also completed training specific to working in the hotel quarantine environment.
“Alfred Health has also been engaged to provide coordinated infection prevention and control, security and cleaning services - given their experience in hospital settings.”
The government refused to name the companies contracted to provide security in quarantine hotels, but said there were three companies involved, “who in some instances may be using subcontractors”.
“The same contractor does not manage security at Rydges and Stamford.”
Following reports of problems with personal protective equipment in hotel quarantine, the government said PPE was not being provided to quarantine hotels directly from the health department, “so the department can more tightly control PPE quality.”
READ MORE: Quarantine failures behind surge in cases
Rachel Baxendale 6.20pm: Victoria claims its COVID management ‘first rate’
The Andrews government says its coronavirus outbreak management response has been “roundly endorsed” by national cabinet as a “first rate response”.
The claim comes despite Victoria’s deputy chief health officer revealing on Friday that almost a third of people in hotel quarantine have refused to be tested, outbreaks in security staff at two quarantine hotels responsible for at least 33 cases between them, and after Victoria’s number of active cases rose from 110 on Saturday, when the Andrews government decided to reimpose social distancing restrictions, to 183 on Friday.
“National Cabinet has roundly endorsed Victoria’s outbreak management response as first rate and the textbook case for other states to follow when, inevitably, they face similar situations in the future,” a spokeswoman for the Andrews said following the meeting of Australia’s first ministers.
She said Australian Defence Force planning and logistics personnel were already working side by side with Victorian emergency management staff in the state control centre following a request for assistance from the ADF yesterday.
“More than a dozen medically qualified ADF personnel are expected to be on the ground at some of the largest community testing sites as soon as tomorrow, with numbers growing over coming days,” the spokeswoman said.
“This first deployment of ADF medical personnel will provide much needed support to the nurses, paramedics and other medical personnel operating in the largest of the over 130 sites operating across Victoria.”
The Australian understands Victoria requested 200 ADF medicos to support the testing blitz.
The Andrews government said the ADF had also reviewed transport arrangements for hotel quarantine and advised that they would “only be duplicating existing arrangements” if ADF personnel assisted with transport of recently returned overseas travellers.
“We will look at any other support they might provide on our “blitz” as it unfolds,” the spokeswoman said.
READ MORE: John Durie — More mayhem to come for Virgin?
Rachel Baxendale 5.15pm ‘No restrictions’ for hot spots, despite lockdown talk
Victoria’s Deputy Chief Health Officer has confirmed there are “no restrictions” on people in the state’s coronavirus hot spots moving around the community, despite talk of lockdowns earlier this week, and Victoria’s number of active cases rising from 110 on Saturday, when the Andrews government decided to reimpose social distancing restrictions, to 183 on Friday.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian earlier this week said Victorians in hot spots should stay put.
“You should not be moving around the community if you live in one of those hot spots in Melbourne,” she said.
Dr van Diemen said there was nothing to prevent people coming and going from the hot spots, with places of gathering such as restaurants, pubs, halls, libraries, museums, places of worship, gyms, theatres and cinemas currently open to up to 20 people.
“At the moment there are no restrictions on people from hot spots moving about the state,” she said.
“There’s no restrictions on them entering into museums or other areas.
“We do have to remember, we have hot spots.
“The overall baseline proportion of cases in Victoria is still very low.
“The chance that anyone individually one of these hot spots has COVID is low, but we know that those are the areas where most of our cases are concentrated, so our message is not about specific individuals from individual hot spots, it’s about the behaviour of the population at large.
“It’s about not going out if you’re sick, getting tested if you’re sick, and maintaining that physical distancing, and that hand hygiene wherever you are, whether that’s in a museum, in a restaurant, in a park or in your house.”
READ MORE: Woolies ramps up Vic deliveries
Rachel Baxendale 4.35pm Disappointing: Some hot spot residents also declining tests
Victorians in the state’s coronavirus hot spots have also declined the opportunity to be tested, Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen has confirmed.
Dr van Diemen confirmed on Friday that almost a third of recently returned overseas travellers in compulsory hotel quarantine had refused to be tested for COVID-19.
She said the response to the Andrews government’s testing blitz in suburbs with the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases had been “pretty universally positive”, but conceded some people had declined the opportunity to be tested.
“We’ve had a lot of people knocking on doors and speaking to people individually,” Dr van Diemen said.
“We’ve had a lot of people having tests done at the whole range of testing sites that have been stood up in these areas, both at the end of streets, in drive through areas in other pop-up sites.
“It has been positive and we really hope that that message continues to get out, both in terms of getting tested but also in terms of the refocus of behaviour change that we really need the general public to take on board.”
Asked whether people had refused tests, Dr van Diemen said: “We’re not enforcing testing at this point of time, so it would be less of a refusal than a declining to be tested.”
“I believe that not everybody who’s been offered testing has taken up testing.
“It is disappointing we really would like everybody to get tested in those areas. We would like to really emphasise the message that it is important to get tested, it is important for us to find every case in those areas.
“We understand why people might have reservations, but also we’re trying to make it as absolutely easy for everybody possible to get tested.”
Asked why people had refused the tests, Dr van Diemen said she had not personally been out knocking on doors and offering the tests.
“I think some people just don’t want to be tested, but I don’t have exact details about why people may be hesitant,” she said.
“That’s certainly intelligence that is being gathered as part of this process which really was only stood up yesterday, so we are collecting that sort of qualitative information around what people’s hesitations are, and we’ll certainly feed that back into the programs over the coming days and weeks.”
Rachel Baxendale 3.25pm Hume, Casey currently worst Vic hot spots
The local government areas of Hume, in Melbourne’s outer north and Casey, in the outer southeast, have recorded the greatest number of new coronavirus cases on Friday, with a whopping 14 cases between them since Thursday.
Hume, which is home to the hot spot suburbs of Broadmeadows and Fawkner, is Victoria’s worst-affected LGA, with 25 active cases, including eight new cases on Friday.
Casey, which includes the hotspot suburb of Hallam where a family cluster has been linked to a hotel quarantine security guard, has 17 active cases, including six new cases on Friday.
Brimbank, where a Keilor Downs family cluster has been linked to 19 active cases, recorded 19 active cases on Friday — two fewer than Thursday — as people recovered.
Moonee Valley, in Melbourne’s northwest, has 15 active cases, including two new cases on Friday, and Whittlesea in the outer north has 14 cases. This is despite neither of these LGAs containing suburbs on the Andrews government’s list of hot spots, which includes Keilor Downs, Albanvale and Sunshine West Brimbank, Broadmeadows and Fawkner in Hume, Maidstone in the LGA of Maribyrnong in Melbourne’s west, Hallam in Casey, and Pakenham in Cardinia, in the outer southeast, as well as Brunswick West in Moreland and Reservoir in Darebin, both in the north.
Moreland has 14 active cases, including five new cases on Friday, while Maribyrnong and Cardinia, and Greater Dandenong in Melbourne’s outer southeast, have five active cases each and no new cases on Friday.
Knox, in Melbourne’s outer east, is also emerging as a hotspot, with seven active cases including three new cases on Friday.
Melton in the outer northwest has four cases — one less than Thursday.
Despite being home to the hotspot suburb of Reservoir, Darebin in Melbourne’s north has only two active cases, down one since Thursday.
Community transmission hotspot suburbs, according to the Andrews government: Brimbank: Keilor Downs, Albanvale, Sunshine West; Hume: Broadmeadows, Fawkner
Maribyrnong: Maidstone; Casey: Hallam; Cardinia: Pakenham; Moreland: Brunswick; West
Darebin: Reservoir.
Rachel Baxendale 3.25pm New cases linked to Victoria Eid cluster
One of Victoria’s new cases on Friday has been linked to a cluster associated with an Eid celebration in Coburg in Melbourne’s north.
The Australian revealed on Thursday that the event in late May breached health department rules limiting household gatherings to no more than five guests, and occurred despite concerted campaigns from the Islamic community and the Andrews government urging Muslims not to gather in large numbers to celebrate the end of their holy month.
The new case brings the total number of cases in the Coburg cluster to 15, across multiple households in Melbourne’s north and southeast.
Victorian Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said the new case had been confirmed in a close contact of other members of the cluster who was already in quarantine and nearing the end of their 14-day quarantine period.
“(That’s) exactly why we want to put people in quarantine, so this has been identified towards the end of that, towards the end of that period through the testing that we undertake as part of quarantine,” Dr van Diemen said.
“That person will now obviously go into isolation, but was in quarantine at the time of testing, so hasn’t created any further contacts.”
There have also been several new cases linked to a family outbreak in Keilor Downs, in Melbourne’s northwest, bringing the total in that cluster to 19.
Another cluster now known as the North Melbourne cluster has reached 15 cases, several of which were in staff members who worked at the H&M clothing store in the Northland shopping centre.
Two of those H&M staff members attended the Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne’s CBD on June 6.
Asked how many family clusters there now are in Victoria, Dr Van Diemen said she did not have an “exact number” in front of her, but it was “quite a reasonable number”.
READ MORE: Eid family feast sparks big cluster
Matthew Denholm 2.50pm: Tasmania to reopen late July, with conditions
Tasmania will reopen its borders on July 24, but only to jurisdictions that have coronavirus under control.
Premier Peter Gutwein said the one-month further delay would allow Tasmania to better judge the impact of its latest lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, on Friday, as well as the situation interstate.
“I simply won’t put Tasmanian lives at risk and it’s important that we continue act on this, as we have right throughout, on the advice we are receiving,” he said.
“The advice is that we need to ensure there is adequate time between our easing of stage three restrictions at 12 noon today and when we might open up our border …
“This will ensure we have appropriate processes in place both for arrivals and departures … for direct flights … and the confidence that Tasmanians are able to transit (safely) through major gateways, such as (Melbourne’s) Tullamarine Airport.”
Mr Gutwein, one of the first premiers to effectively close state borders after the virus outbreak, said the situation interstate would be reviewed weekly.
In the case of Victoria, a formal review of its outbreak would be held in two weeks. Were a decision required now, he would not allow free border movements with Victoria, he said.
The one-month delay would allow time to judge whether the Victoria outbreak spread to other states when Victorians travelled during the coming school holidays.
Tasmania has not recorded a new confirmed coronavirus case for 41 days and there is significant division between those wanting to keep the border shut and those, particularly business people, wanting a partial reopening.
Mr Gutwein said he would not be influenced by any person or group, other than public health advisers.
READ MORE: As collapse looms, a warning: open up
Debbie Schipp 2.40pm: Warning on tough testing powers for travellers
Departing Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy has warned of tough testing powers after it was revealed that 30% of returned travellers in Victoria have been refusing to have coronavuris tests while in hotel quarantine.
He said the states and territories had the power to hold a traveller in quarantine until they were able to produce a negative test.
“That 30% is quite a high rate, and I think other states haven’t seen such a high rate,” Prof Murphy said.
“You have powers to say to someone, ‘Well, we won’t let you out of quarantine until you’ve been tested and had a clear test’.
“We will make sure people understand before they come that this is a requirement. I think most people will co-operate with that arrangement.”
Mr Murphy also announced Australia would begin testing all returned travellers when they first arrived in quarantine and at the end of their hotel stay.
READ MORE: Border wars: teams hit the road to restart season
Max Maddison 2.30pm: Stop it, it’s ridiculous: PM on panic buying
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slammed people who are stripping supermarket shelves, as another wave of panic buying grips the nation.
“Stop it, it’s ridiculous,” the Prime Minister said at a press conference.
“I’m sure it will pass as it did last time and there’s no need for it and I think, today, it’s important to reassure people the outbreak doesn’t mean there’s a problem then, the response to that outbreak is strong, which means that Australians can have confidence.”
READ MORE: ‘Second wave’ of toilet paper limits
Max Maddison 2.25pm: Tribute as Brendan Murphy exits as CMO
Mr Morrison also used the press conference to praise Professor Brendan Murphy on his final day as Chief Medical Officer.
“He’s been in the living rooms of Australians now for many months and I know, Brendan, you have been a person of great assurance to Australians with your calm way of explaining what are often very complex things, you’ve given Australians, I think, a great peace of mind,” Mr Morrison said.
Professor Murphy will take up a role as Secretary of the Department of Health, which had been delayed due to the severity of the outbreak.
READ MORE: ‘Going early, going hard paid off’
Rachel Baxendale 2.15pm: One third in Vic quarantine refuse COVID tests
Almost a third of recently-returned travellers in Victorian hotel quarantine have refused to be tested for COVID-19, deputy chief health officer Annaliese van Diemen has confirmed.
Dr van Diemen conceded it was possible that someone could develop symptoms late in their fortnight in quarantine and still be allowed out into the community.
Asked whether there was a high rate of refusal of tests in hotel quarantine, Dr van Diemen said: “It depends what your definition of a high refusal rate is.”
“One of the last things I saw was we’re getting about 70 per cent of people uptake (sic) tests,” she said.
Asked whether the Victorian health department required stronger enforcement powers to compel people to be tested before release, Dr van Diemen said: “That’s I think something for consideration and further discussion, but at this point in time we’re pretty happy with the current regimen. It’s more stringent than most other places.”
Victoria offers tests to those in hotel quarantine twice, near the beginning of their compulsory fortnight and towards the end. Some other states only offer one test.
At least 33 COVID-19 cases have been linked to two outbreaks in security contractors at the Stamford Plaza and Rydges on Swanston quarantine hotels – prompting questions about whether recently returned travellers could also be at risk of infection within the hotels.
Asked whether it was possible a hotel quarantine resident could develop COVID-19 symptoms late in their fortnight of compulsory quarantine, refuse to be tested and go out into the community and infect people, Dr van Diemen said: “There is always a chance of that.”
“That is why we really need to balance how we approach this, to really maximising people’s engagement in this and maximising people’s involvement and their voluntary participation in the testing,” she said.
READ MORE: Testing blitz as Premier warns numbers will rise
Max Maddison 2pm: Moselmane raid: PM ‘won’t cop’ foreign interference
Scott Morrison says the threat of foreign interference is “real”, but he “won’t cop” anyone interfering in our political system.
Speaking at a press conference, the Prime Minister said the ASIO raid of Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane’s home in Rockdale demonstrated the “extremely serious” and elevated threat of foreign actors.
“I think — the actions of the Australian Federal Police and ASIO demonstrate that the threats in this area are real. The need to take action is necessary and the Government is absolutely determined to ensure that nobody interferes with Australia’s activities,” Mr Morrison said.
“We won’t cop anyone coming and seeking to interfere in our political system, in our energy sector, in any area of perceived area of opportunity for an outside actor. We won’t cop it. We are a resilient people. We will stand up to it. And we will take action, as what you’ve seen today demonstrates.”
READ MORE: Labor MP raided, questioned in China link probe
Max Maddison 1.45pm: 2sq metre rule: Small venues get a break
Smaller premises will have social distancing restrictions relaxed, after the National Cabinet agreed to move to a two square metre rule.
Speaking at a press conference, Scott Morrison said while each jurisdiction would determine what was considered a “small premise”, generally, the new rules would apply to premises under 100 square metres.
“Previously there had been a more formal rule around four-square metres and I think it shows the flexibility that is now being able to be built into the response based on the experience
that everybody is happening and is being shared,” the Prime Minister said.
“The AHPPC, the expert Medical panel, is being tasked with a road map for entertainment venues to assist with industry planning around major productions and events.”
In addition, despite a second wave of infections gripping Melbourne, Mr Morrison said the National Cabinet agreed to remain firm on sticking with the three step road map to unlocking the Australian economy.
“There are outbreaks occurring at other quarantine hotels as well. So outbreaks will occur but at National Cabinet they remained firm on sticking with their three-step plan and continuing the easing of restrictions that will continue into next month,” he said.
“There will be outbreaks. What matters is the response. There will be outbreaks and what matters is that we continue to build our capability to deal with those outbreaks.”
READ MORE: Virus hits property’s high end
Max Maddison 1.24pm: LIVE: PM speaks after National Cabinet meeting
Scott Morrison will hold a press conference at 1:30pm to discuss the National Cabinets meeting earlier this morning.
The unfolding outbreak in Victoria is expected to be among the main topics discussed by the Prime Minister and the premiers, along with the reopening of the arts and entertainment industry.
Rachel Baxendale 1.19pm: How ADF will help Victoria
ADF assistance to Victoria will primarily involve army medicos helping with the state’s COVID-19 testing blitz in hotspot suburbs, with arrangements for the cluster-plagued hotel quarantine system still being fleshed out, and likely to involve police protective services officers, and not necessarily the ADF.
Confirmation of the nature of the ADF role comes after a debacle yesterday, which saw Victoria issue and then rescind a broad request for assistance which did not include numbers of troops.
Canberra said it understood 500-1000 personnel would be heading down, while Premier Daniel Andrews’s office said they had envisaged needing 300.
The Australian understands the request was issued and then rescinded in order to make it a more specific request for medically-trained troops to help with the testing blitz.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen on Friday confirmed she and CHO Brett Sutton had requested ADF medical assistance.
“In terms of defence force personnel, the request that came from my area was that we needed medical staff, so either medics or medically trained staff in terms of nurses to help with our testing blitz,” Dr van Diemen said.
“So that is being provided, and my understanding is that that is a couple of hundred (troops).
“In terms of logistics around hotel quarantine, don’t have any specific announcements to be made.
“Obviously everybody is doing their bit to make sure all of these programs can run as smoothly as possible, and if there’s any major changes then those changes will be announced when the time comes.”
Dr van Diemen said she expected the ADF personnel requested to assist with the testing blitz would arrive over the weekend, although she was unable to confirm an exact date.
At least 33 COVID-19 cases have been linked to two outbreaks in security contractors at the Stamford Plaza and Rydges on Swanston quarantine hotels.
While nurses are also involved in staffing quarantine hotels, other states have used ADF personnel for hotel security roles due to their infection control training.
The Australian understands the Andrews government is currently working on plans to involve police protective services officers with hotel quarantine.
READ MORE: Quarantine failings behind Melbourne spike
Eli Greenblat 1.15pm: Toilet paper restrictions go national again
Woolworths and Coles have extended revived buying curbs on toilet paper and paper towels from Victoria to the entire country.
READ MORE: Second wave of toilet paper limits
Rachel Baxendale 12.30pm: Hotspot map: Where the Melbourne cases are
Here’s a quick recap of the latest news from Melbourne:
●30 new COVID-19 cases, including a health worker at the Orygen youth mental health facility and a McDonald’s worker.
● Seven of the new cases are linked to known outbreaks.
● Five are returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
● Five detected through routine testing.
● 13 cases remain under investigation.
● 183 active cases.
● Six people in hospital with the virus, one in ICU.
● Victoria has recorded 1947 cases, and more than 1700 people have recovered.
Victoria is yet to update its local government area COVID-19 case data for Friday, so in the meantime, let’s have a quick look at where the cases were as of Thursday.
Of Friday’s new cases, we know from Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen’s press conference that there are links to a family outbreak in Wollert, in the local government area of Whittlesea, as well as to the Keilor Downs family cluster in Brimbank in the outer northwest, and to the Footscray Orygen Youth Health centre in Maribyrnong, in the inner west.
The suburbs with high levels of community infection include Keilor Downs, Albanvale and Sunshine West in the local outer northwestern Melbourne LGA of Brimbank, Broadmeadows and Fawkner in the outer northern LGA of Hume, Maidstone in the LGA of Maribyrnong in the west, Hallam in Casey, and Pakenham in Cardinia, both in the outer southeast, and Brunswick West in Moreland and Reservoir in Darebin in the north.
READ MORE: Defence faces up to China threat
Agencies 12.15pm: China reports further decline in new virus cases
China reported a further decline in newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Friday, with 13 cases. Eleven were in Beijing, where mass testing has been carried out following an outbreak that appears to have been largely brought under control. The other two cases were brought by Chinese travellers from overseas, according to the National Health Council.
No new deaths were reported and 389 people remained in treatment for COVID-19, with another 107 in isolation. Case numbers both nationally and in Beijing were down from Thursday. China has reported 4634 COVID-19 deaths from 83,462 total cases.
This month’s outbreak in Beijing has seen 260 people infected, most of them with links to the city’s biggest wholesale market, leading authorities to lock down some communities and cancel classes.
Since then, 3 million test samples have been taken from 2.43 million people in the city.
New regulations on managing risks to prevent additional outbreaks issued by China’s Cabinet, the State Council, include a demand that unreasonable restrictions beyond regular prevention and control measures in localities should be immediately corrected.
It warned that measures that cause “vile influence” will be exposed in the media, the regulations state. — AP
READ MORE: TradingDay: Qantas shares pull lower
Max Maddison 11.50am: NSW confirms six cases, five in hotel quarantine
NSW has recorded six new cases of coronavirus. One was the twelve-year-old student of Camden High School, which forced the school to close this morning as health authorities undertook deep cleaning and contact tracing.
The other five were returned travellers in hotel quarantine. The additional cases takes the state’s total to 3168, with 57 active cases currently being treated by NSW Health — none are in intensive care.
As at 8pm Thursday 25 June, 6 new cases of #COVID19 were diagnosed bringing the total number of cases in NSW is to 3,168.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 26, 2020
Five of the new cases are those of returned travellers in hotel quarantine. pic.twitter.com/mR3zXpGRQf
Health authorities’ huge testing regime continued with another 15,278 tests carried out over the past 24 hours. Over 780,000 COVID-19 tests have now been carried out in NSW.
Pointing to the number of travellers who continued to show symptoms on day 10 of quarantine, NSW Health urged people directed to home isolation to ensure they followed directions.
“Since 29 March 2020, 3,262 symptomatic returned travellers have been tested in hotels, with 105 of those (3 per cent) found positive,” NSW Health said in a statement.
“Travellers are also screened on day 10 of quarantine. Since this screening began on 15 May 2020, 11,243 returned travellers have been screened on day 10 of quarantine with 55 found positive.”
READ MORE: Balinese lose cool with celebrity flouters
Rachel Baxendale 11.35am: Victoria records 30 new COVID-19 cases
Victoria has confirmed 30 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, with the state’s number of active cases rising to 183.
Of the new cases, seven have been linked to known outbreaks, five are in people in hotel quarantine, five were detected through routine testing and 13 are under investigation.
There are six Victorians in hospital with COVID-19, including one in intensive care.
The death toll remains 20, with no deaths since a man in his 80s died in hospital on Tuesday night. The total number of cases in Victoria is now 1947, with 1742 people having recovered.
More than 736,000 tests have been processed, including 20,000 on Thursday.
It is the 10th day Victoria has recorded double-digit increases in COVID cases.
Two recent cases of COVID-19 including one of today’s new cases have been detected in workers at the Coles distribution centre in Laverton, in Melbourne’s outer northwest.
One of those cases has been linked to a Keilor Downs family outbreak. All close contacts of the two cases, and all staff who worked on the same shift, have been placed in quarantine.
The entire workplace is being tested.
Another of today’s new cases is a healthcare worker at Orygen Youth Health, who is believed to have worked while infectious. The facility has been placed in lockdown and staff are in quarantine. The Orygen Youth Health inpatient facility is in Footscray, in the inner west.
A further new case is in a McDonald’s worker at the outlet in Mill Park, in Melbourne’s outer north, which is linked to an outbreak connected with social gatherings in Wollert. McDonalds is conducting a deep clean and a full review, with workers being placed in quarantine.
A link has also been established between the Wollert outbreak and two earlier cases associated with St Monica’s College in Epping.
READ MORE: Quarantine failures behind surge in cases
Christine McGinn 11.15am: Vic Centrelink hotspot staff told to ‘stay home’
Centrelink contract staff who live in Victoria’s coronavirus hot spots have been told not to return to work amid a surge in fresh cases. Dozens of staff who work at Centrelink are understood to have been told not to come back to work by labour hire firm Chandler Macleod.
The general manager of Centrelink’s parent agency Services Australia, Hank Jongen, said fewer than 100 staff live in the affected COVID-19 hot spots and work outside those areas.
“These staff have been advised to stay at home while we review and adapt to the latest health advice and prevent unnecessary movement in and out of those areas,” Mr Jongen said in a statement on Friday. The labour hire staff are paid directly by labour hire providers and were paid for their rostered shifts on Wednesday 24 June, he said.
Services Australia says it is working with Chandler Mcleod on further arrangements that may apply this week and it has not issued a blanket instruction for staff to stay at home, but staff in hot spots are encouraged to work from home.
CPSU national president Alistair Waters pointed the finger at the federal government’s refusal to give COVID-19 leave to 23,000 contractors and labour hire workers in the public sector for this decision. “We are exceedingly concerned by reports that labour hire firms like Chandler Macleod are standing down workers and directing them to apply for JobSeeker payments,” Mr Waters said. Chandler Macleod has been contacted for comment. — AAP
READ MORE: Bordering on collapse, businesses warn states of job losses
Max Maddison 10.55am: Berejiklian tells shoppers to stay calm amid panic buying
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she doesn’t blame people for being alarmed about virus spikes but she has urged shoppers to continue their “normal buying habits”.
After reports of Victorian supermarket shelves being stripped of toilet paper and other goods, reminiscent of the early days of the outbreak, Ms Berejiklian asked people to “maintain your calm”.
Premier @GladysB on panic buying and purchase limits in Victoria following a spike in cases: “I don’t blame people for being concerned, we all have to be on guard, but we certainly don’t need to change our normal buying habits. I will let you know when you need to worry." #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/LU7S1bWWj3
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) June 25, 2020
“There is no reason for people not to remain calm in NSW, please continue to, maintain your calm, please continue to do what you’ve been doing,” Ms Berejiklian said at a press conference earlier this morning.
“I don’t blame people for being concerned, we all have to be on guard, but we certainly don’t need to change our normal buying habits. I will let you know when you need to worry.”
With NSW at a “manageable stage of the pandemic’’, Ms Berejiklian asked people to “not let your guard down” and allow levels of community transmission to creep up.
READ MORE: Woolies, Coles reinstate restrictions as coronavirus prompts panic buying
Max Maddison 10.50am: Doctors warn parents as school holidays begin
As the school semester draws to a close, doctors are urging parents to remember “this is not a normal school holidays”.
In a statement, Dr Charlotte Hespe, a spokeswoman for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, urged families to remain “extra vigilant” despite the relaxation of social distancing restrictions.
“This is not a normal school holidays. Although we have successfully flattened the COVID-19 curve in Australia and have seen an easing of restrictions, we are far from out of the woods,” Dr Hespe said. “The spike in cases in Victoria was not unexpected and could happen in other areas, particularly as people gain more freedoms.”
With school term finishing today in Queensland, the Northern Territory, Victoria and some NSW private schools — and a week later in the remainder of the country — Dr Hespe asked families to avoid unnecessary travel.
“This is why it is so important that families are extra vigilant this school holidays and maintain social distancing and regular hand washing – those in COVID-19 hot spots in Victoria should holiday at home and avoid unnecessary travel interstate and regionally,” she said.
READ MORE: Canberra Airport asks govt to let New Zealanders travel to Australia
ELI GREENBLAT 10.45am: Woolworths ramps up home deliveries in Victoria
Woolworths is ramping up deliveries to deal with a 40 per cent spike in online shopping following a sharp rise in coronavirus infections in Melbourne, which has also sparked some panic buying.
The resurgence in online sales follows COVID-19 flare-ups in Melbourne’s north and west, as many shoppers prefer to stay home rather than venture to crowded supermarkets.
Woolworths said as a result, it was increasing online deliveries and in-store pick ups.
The supermarket giant will add dozens of new trucks to its fleet of more than 200 Victorian delivery vehicles and hundreds of couriers from on-demand delivery partners Sherpa and Drive Yello.
All Woolworths stores in Melbourne also offer community pick up, allowing customers to place online orders and have family members, friends or neighbours collect them. For safety, both deliveries and community pick ups are contactless, with orders in reusable bags.
READ THE FULL STORY here.
Sarah Elks 10.35am: QLD records first new case in eight days
Queensland has recorded one new confirmed case of coronavirus – the first in eight days.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the new case was a person who had returned from overseas and was in quarantine.
There are just two active cases, and 1067 total confirmed cases, with 347,610 tests conducted.
Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath, Police Minister Mark Ryan, and State Disaster Co-ordinator and deputy police commissioner Steve Gollschewski said there would be a crack down on people breaking quarantine rules.
Mr Gollschewski said Queensland was in a good position and wanted to stay there.
“We haven’t got any community transmission, so we’re in a very good place,” he said.
He said there would be an increase in compliance regime testing, focusing on people in quarantine at home and in hotels, and checking compliance of licensed venues.
Mr Gollschewski said when people were in quarantine, it was not acceptable to go shopping or to have a visitor.
READ MORE: Balinese lose cool with celebrity flouters
Agencies 9.50am: Melbourne McDonald’s worker tests positive
A McDonald’s worker in Melbourne’s north has tested positive for COVID-19.
Workers at the Mill Park fast food restaurant, in the city’s north, were informed via an email on Friday morning, according to Seven News.
“When we were informed we immediately reviewed which Crew/Managers have been in close contact with this employee over the last 14 days,” the letter to staff reportedly reads.
“We have contacted these employees personally and have directed them to self-isolate. They are not working in the restaurant.”
In May, a coronavirus cluster was revealed at McDonald’s in Fawkner with dozens of staff being tested.
Twelve McDonald’s restaurants also closed for a deep clean last month after a truck driver who made deliveries at each of them tested positive.
READ MORE: Testing blitz as premier warns of rise in numbers
Anne Barrowclough 9.45am: Fines, jail for NT visitors’ lies
The Northern Territory “fortress” is set to open its borders to the rest of Australia after successfully eradicating coronavirus in the north end, but says anyone from COVID-19 hot spots will be barred from entering.
Mr Gunner said visitors would have to make a statutory declaration on arrival in the state and would face fines and prison sentences of up to three years if they were found to have lied about where they were travelling from.
Referring to the outbreak in Victoria, Chief Minister Michael Gunner reminded Territorians: “This is why we waited”, but added “we can’t stay shut forever”, as he prepared to open the borders on July 17.
“We have landed eradication. We did better than expected and we have eradicated Corona. This brings new challenges and expectations. We have been a fortress in the Territory, the safest in the nation, and I acknowledge that being the safest makes the next step scarier,” Mr Gunner said.
“I want us to stay the safest, I’m confident we will, but the hard truth is we can’t stay shut forever.”
Mr Gunner said the borders would continue to be policed from July 17, initially for a fortnight, but then for as long as “they are needed”. However, he said anyone from coronavirus hot spots across Australia wouldn’t be able to access the NT.
“From 17 July, if your suburb or Local Government area has been declared a hot spot by your state or Territory government or by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, then you will not be given access to the Territory,” he said.
“You will be quarantined in your own centre at your own cost before you can enjoy the NT.”
READ MORE: Border wars: teams hit the road
Max Maddison 9.25am: Cormann ‘careful over phasing out support for business’
The government’s end goal is to “phase out” support for businesses that are reliant on JobKeeper, said Finance Minister Mathias Cormann. However he reiterated that the time frames are still being worked on.
Qantas has pleaded with the Prime Minister to extend Jobkeeper payments beyond the scheme’s September cut-off date. https://t.co/SosQV3DMrB
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) June 25, 2020
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Cormann wouldn’t be drawn on the proposals currently being considered by the federal government, but said he recognised many sectors would continue to struggle after the September deadline.
“We need to be very careful about how we calibrate the phasing out of support for businesses,” Mr Cormann said.
“The end goal has to be that individual businesses pay for their employees wages.”
READ MORE: Fiscal reform needed wen stimulus runs out
Glenda Korporaal 9.00am: Cyrus dumps Virgin Australia bid
New York hedge fund Cyrus has withdrawn its offer for Virgin Australia, leaving the way open for private equity fund Bain to win the battle.
Cyrus said in a statement on Friday that it had decided to withdraw its offer “due to lack of engagement by the administrator”.
The move leaves the way for Bain to be named as the preferred bidder.
In a statement released on Friday morning Cyrus complained that the administrator, Deloitte’s Vaughan Strawbridge, had not returned calls or emails or meaningfully engaged with it since earlier this week.
The angry statement by Cyrus was a slap in the face of the administrator Vaughan Strawbridge.
Cyrus said it was withdrawing its offer “after thousands of hours of detailed due diligence, business planning and stakeholder engagement”.
READ the full story here
Max Maddison 8.30am: PM ‘won’t rush’ to decision over restrictions
People shouldn’t “rush to conclusions” about what the federal government will do post-September, says Scott Morrison.
Despite growing apprehension about the looming economic cliff, the Prime Minister said he wouldn’t be rushed into making a decision, reiterating that a conclusion would be reached by the third week of July.
“People shouldn’t rush to conclusions about what the government is going to do post-September,” Mr Morrison told Ben Fordham on Sydney radio 2GB.
“Of course there will be a next step beyond that. We’re in the process of planning that now. We’re going to have to provide targeted support. The review of JobKeeper hasn’t hit my desk just yet.
READ MORE: As collapse looms, a warning – open up
Max Maddison 8.15am: Ardern on track to win second term
Jacinda Ardern lost ground to the National Party, but remains on track to win the New Zealand September election comfortably, the latest 1News Colmar Brunton poll revealed.
Amid controversy over Ms Ardern’s hard lockdown which has eliminated coronavirus in the country but brought economic misery, the poll data has Labour down nine points but still at 50 per cent, compared to the Nationals who jumped nine points to 38 per cent. Despite the swing, Labor is still positioned to govern alone, without requiring the support of the Winston Peters-led NZ First.
After appointing Todd Muller as opposition leader, voters welcomed the change of leadership, with Mr Muller enjoying a nine point jump to 13 per cent as preferred prime minister.
However, Ms Ardern maintained her formidable lead as preferred prime minister with 54 per cent, despite falling 9 per cent since the last poll.
The poll spells trouble for NZ First, Labour’s coalition partner, after slumping to 2 per cent of the vote, requiring 5 per cent to ensure their return to New Zealand’s parliament.
READ MORE: Drive to open border to Kiwis
Max Maddison 7.45am: Birmingham: We need hotel quarantine safety blanket
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham says the security breaches at Victorian hotels is a problem which needs to be solved.
Mr Birmingham said the breaches would be discussed at the National Cabinet meeting today, with the ADF potentially coming in to offer quarantine support.
Victoria is under pressure this morning to explain how the new coronavirus outbreaks spread from hotels. #9News pic.twitter.com/Oq1Swle0aw
— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) June 25, 2020
“That’s a question that I hope the Victorian government can get to the bottom of … We’re going to need that safeguard, that safety blanket of hotel quarantine for many, many months to come and we’ve got to have confidence in the way that it works,” Mr Birmingham told Today on the Nine network.
“It’s worked exceptionally well right across the country. We’ve got to make sure that that continues to be the case and we don’t see any such leakage again.”
However, despite Premier Daniel Andrews backflipping on his initial request for ADF help, Mr Birmingham said the government remained ready to lend additional support were needed.
“That’s a matter for the Victorian government. If they’re confident they’ve got the resources and the manpower, the people power on the ground to get the job done, then that’s fine and fantastic,” he said.
“But if they need additional support, the Federal Government stands willing with the ADF to lend that additional support.”
READ MORE: Licence checks likely for footy fans
Max Maddison 7.35am: Sebastian defends appearance with PM
Guy Sebastian has taken to Twitter to defend himself, after he copped a barrage of criticism for appearing alongside Scott Morrison at a press conference.
In a series of tweets, Sebastian attempted to explain his appearance at the announcement of the federal government’s $250m arts and entertainment coronavirus package.
“I stood there with one of my musos to show gratitude for their quick response. I don’t have any input into where the money goes, and of course there is always going to be a question of whether it is enough,” Mr Sebastian said. “However, the purpose of me being there was to be a voice for the people directly affected in my world. This wasn’t about political alignment or anything of the sort and of course I wasn’t paid to be there, I just know there’s a lot of people suffering so my hope is that it gets to the people who need it the most..”
It is enough, however, the purpose of me being there was to be a voice for the people directly affected in my world. This wasn’t about political alignment or anything of the sort and of course I wasn’t paid to be there, I just know there’s a lot of people suffering so my hope
— Guy Sebastian (@GuySebastian) June 25, 2020
However, the explanation wasn’t enough for many of his fans, with one Twitter user saying, “you sold your soul to the LNP”.
On Thursday afternoon, critics took to Twitter to slam Sebastian, accusing the former Australian Idol winner of selling out the arts sector.
“He’s sold-out the Arts sector for a measly $416.66 per Arts sector worker to publicly support the Prime Minister, extremely disappointing to say the least,” another Twitter user tweeted.
READ MORE: Arts grab $250m COVID lifeline
Max Maddison 6.55am: Global deaths near half a million, infections soar
Global confirmed cases of coronavirus passed 9.5m, while coronavirus-related deaths are approaching half a million, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
With recorded cases standing at 9,506,788, global deaths are at 484,405. However, Johns Hopkins data is likely to understate the true figures, due to their use of official government data. Many countries have misrepresented the figures, or don’t have enough tests to accurately measure the number of deaths.
Infections continue to soar in the Americas, with Brazil recording 42,725 cases overnight taking the country’s total to 1,188,631 cases and 53,830 deaths. Mexico also confirmed another 5437 cases, making the country almost certain to pass 200,000 cases landmark by tomorrow.
Recorded cases in India continued to climb, posting 16,922 in the past 24 hours – the largest daily increase since the outbreak began. The South Asian country has recorded 473,105 confirmed cases in total.
However, after peaking in late-May, cases in Peru have begun to fall, the same with Chile.
READ MORE: Wedding dream to force majeure nightmare
Anne Barrowclough 6.45am: ‘Appalling’ scenes as 500,000 crowd UK beaches
A major incident has been declared along the southeast coast of England as half a million people converged on Dorset beaches on the hottest day of the year.
As temperatures reached 33.3C, Bournemouth council said roads to the town and neighbouring resorts were gridlocked, preventing emergency services reaching urgent calls.
Council leader Vikki Slade said: We are absolutely appalled at the scenes witnessed on our beaches, particularly at Bournemouth and Sandbanks, in the last 24-48 hours.
“We have had no choice now but to declare a major incident and initiate an emergency response.”
Authorities in Bournemouth, a popular beach town in southern England, declared a 'major incident' over what they called the irresponsible behavior of crowds who ignored public health guidance on coronavirus and badly overstretched local services https://t.co/yBLyJHrZ66 pic.twitter.com/jT8ezmwrL5
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 25, 2020
Dorset police called extra officers into the area and security staff were deployed to aid refuse collectors who had been targeted with abuse and threats as they cleared away tonnes of rubbish.
Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood said there were an estimated 500,000 visitors in Dorset and urged anyone thinking of going to the area to “stay away”.
READ MORE: Wake up, there will be no easy snap back
Max Maddison 6.25am: Second Sydney school in two days closes
Another Sydney school has closed after a student tested positive to coronavirus, the fifth in the past month.
A Year 7 student Camden High School in Sydney’s southwest tested positive, forcing the school’s closure as it underwent deep cleaning and health authorities began contact tracing.
In a statement, the NSW Department of Education said a clinic would be set up at Camden Hospital. Further advice will be provided later today, including when the school will resume on-site learning.
“NSW Health has requested anyone who has been unwell or has flu like symptoms to be tested at one of the COVID-19 clinics. Only students who are unwell with a fever or respiratory symptoms such as a sore throat or cough need to be tested,” the Department of Health said.
READ MORE: Risk in the year of COVID
Agencies 6.00am: ‘20 million Americans infected with virus’
US officials estimate that 20 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus since it first arrived in the United States, meaning that the vast majority of the population remains susceptible. Thursday’s estimate is roughly 10 times as many infections as the 2.3 million cases that have been confirmed. Officials have long known that millions of people were infected without knowing it and that many cases are being missed because of gaps in testing.
Twenty million infections means that about six per cent of the nation’s 331 million people have been infected.
“It’s clear that many individuals in this nation are still susceptible,” Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on a call with reporters Thursday. “Our best estimate right now is that for every case that was reported, there actually are 10 more infections.” Previously, CDC officials and the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, have said that as many as 25 per cent of infected people might not have symptoms.
The new estimate is based on CDC studies of blood samples collected nationwide – some by the CDC and others from blood donations and other sources. Many infections were not caught in early testing, when supplies were limited and federal officials prioritised testing for those with symptoms.
READ MORE: Drive to open borders to Kiwis
Sarah Elks 4.45am: Queensland builds stockpile of protective equipment
Queensland is building a “strategic medical stockpile” of critical personal protective equipment to protect healthcare workers from the next pandemic.
Health Minister and Deputy Premier Steven Miles said Queensland had now gone eight days with no new cases of coronavirus, with only two active cases, both on the Gold Coast, remaining in the state.
Mr Miles said the state’s total of 1066 cases was still fewer than the state had initially modelled as the “expected daily count of a three-month peak” of the virus. Initial modelling showed 30,000 Queenslanders could die, and one-quarter of citizens could be infected.
Mr Miles said in the early days of the pandemic, Queensland did not have enough PPE to deal with that modelled peak. He said the government was putting together a “strategic medical stockpile”.
Queensland has 70 per cent more gloves than before coronavirus emerged, 2½ times the amount of eyewear, 150 per cent more gowns, twice as many masks, and more than 90 days’ supply of PPE.
READ MORE: Push to open border to NZ to save tourism
Rosie Lewis 3.15am: Border closures risk tsunami of job losses
Businesses are pleading with the states to throw open their borders or risk a tsunami of job losses, ahead of a national cabinet meeting today that will discuss the alarming coronavirus outbreak in Victoria.
After Qantas sacked 6000 staff on Thursday and kept 15,000 stood down, the aviation industry is now warning that there will be significant job losses in other parts of the sector unless the travel industry recovers soon.
“There are real jobs and livelihoods on the line,” Sydney Airport chief executive Geoff Culbert said.
“Extending JobKeeper will be important and appreciated, but the best stimulus the aviation industry can get is opening up domestic and international borders. Opening borders and restoring travel means we can turn the JobKeeper tap off and the jobs tap on.”
Canberra Airport managing director Stephen Byron was also critical of the continued border closures, blaming them for exacerbated the downturn in tourism and aviation.
“We were desperate last week, and it is even worse this week. We need a circuit breaker on the state border issues,” Mr Byron wrote in a letter sent to Scott Morrison and obtained by The Australian this week.
Read the full story, by Rosie Lewis and Patrick Commins, here.
Olivia Caisley 3am: ‘We will see infection numbers rise’, Andrews says
A trebling of coronavirus cases in Victoria over the past eight days has prompted Daniel Andrews to launch an unprecedented testing blitz across 10 suburban hot spots, as he warned the figure would continue to rise.
Victoria recorded 33 new infections on Thursday — the highest daily number of new cases since the surge started last week — with the figure jumping from 58 to 143 in the period from June 17 to 24.
There have been only 20 new cases in the rest of the country in that time.
“I just can’t stress this enough. We will see these numbers go up in coming days,” the Premier said yesterday. “That will be a measure of the work we are doing, a measure of the success of this strategy.”
Read the full story here.
Matthew Lee 2.45am: US coronavirus spike threatens travel to Europe
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has played down concerns that the European Union might refuse to allow Americans into the 27-nation bloc as it considers lifting restrictions on overseas travellers starting next week, due to the spread of the coronavirus in the United States.
“It’s a challenge for all of us to decide how and when to open up our economies and our societies. Everybody’s trying to figure that out,” Pompeo said during a videoconference organised by the German Marshall Fund think tank.
“We’re working with our European counterparts to get that right.”
European nations appear on track to reopen their borders between each other by July 1. Their envoys to Brussels are debating what virus-related criteria should apply when lifting entry restrictions on travellers from outside the EU that were imposed in March.
As the criteria are narrowed down, a list of countries whose citizens might be allowed in is being drawn up. The list would be updated every 14 days based on how the coronavirus is spreading around the world.
The EU’s executive commission recommends that “travel restrictions should not be lifted as regards third countries where the situation is worse” than the average in the 27 EU member countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
That is likely to rule out people living in the United States, where new coronavirus infections have surged to the highest level in two months, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. — AP
READ MORE: Cameron Stewart — US on high alert as coronavirus cases surge
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